Bumper for a window glass



Feb. 2, 1937. J. L. CONLON BUMPER FOR A WINDOW GLASS Filed'April 15, 1936 m m w m i fa/mid (711/011 ATTORNEY? Patented Feb. 2, 193? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUIWPER FOR A WINDOW GLASS Application April 15, 1936, Serial No. 74,455

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a window well bumper for a sliding glass.

It is old in the automotive vehicle body art to provide rubber bumpers inside and adjacent the mouth of the window well which guide and also serve as anti-rattlers, and prevent the sliding window glass as it slides into and out of the window well or in any of its partially raised positions from striking against the window well and more particularly against the outside reveal or the inside garnish molding. As the window is raised or lowered the sliding friction which occurs at times between the window glass and the bumper may dislodge it unless the bumper is well secured to its support. It is an object of this invention to provide a bumper for the window glass which is very easily and also securely fastened to its support so that it will not be dislodged by frictional engagement with the window glass.

It is old in the art to mount a rubber bumper in the window well by providing the support with a square or circular opening of uniform width and length and to provide the bumper with a stem and button portion which is slightly larger than the opening in the support. The button portion is compressed and crowded through the opening whereupon it is permitted to expand and overlap the support on the inside of the opening. This arrangement has proved unsatisfactory because the button portion of the bumper is necessarily limited to a size that can be readily compressed and passed through the circular or rectangular opening of uniform width and length. The buttons have been limited necessarily to a size insufiicient to provide the necessary overlap with the opening in the support to securely interlock the bumper with its support. It is an object of this invention to produce a bumper that can be securely interlocked with its support to a degree not possible with this old type bumper and so that sliding friction with the window glass will not dislodge it.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an inside view of an automobile body showing the location of the bumpers inside and adjacent the mouth of the window well.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 22 of Fig. 1 but with the window glass lowered partially.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the bumper and the opening with which it is interengaged to fasten the same in the window well.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are progressive views illustrating the securing of the bumper with its support in the window well.

Referring more particularly to the drawing there is shown an automobile body having a window glass I which is arranged to be lowered into, and raised from, the window well 2 by means of a window regulator 3. The mouth of the window well is defined on the inside by the garnish mold- 5 ing 4 and on the outside by the reveal 5 having the depending flange 6 which serves as a support for one or more of the bumpers I.

The bumper I may be made of any suitable material which is flexible and preferably resilient, 10 such as rubber. The rubber bumper 1 comprises a body portion 8 having grooves 9 and ID in its side walls which preferably extend the length of the bumper. The bumper I is thus generally divided into a body portion 8, an interlocking portion II and a neck portion I2 between the body portion 8 and the interlock portion I I.

Any suitable support for the bumper I may be provided within the window well. Preferably the fiat depending flange 6 of the reveal window panel 20 is used for this purpose. To this end the depending flange 6 is provided with an opening I3 having an enlarged mouth I 4 and a narrow portion I5. The sides of the mouth portion I4, adjacent the narrow portion I5, converge as at I6 so that 25 the mouth I4 gradually merges into the narrow portion I5. The over-all length from one end I I to the other end I8 of the opening I3 is preferably approximately equal to the over-all length of the bumper I from one end I 9 to the other end 30 20, but in any event the bumper should be longer than the mouth of the opening I3 to insure continuous interlocking of the narrow portion I5 with the grooves of the bumper. The width of the mouth I4 from one side wall 2I to the other 35 side wall 22 should preferably not be less than the width of the interlock portion I I and preferably is approximately the same width or slightly larger. The essential point is that the mouth I4 should be wide enough to permit the interlock 40 portion to be passed through with little or no compressing of the rubber and that the width of the narrow portion I5 of the opening I3 should be less than the Width of the interlocking portion II and preferably about the same width as the 45 neck portion I2 of the bumper I so that the interlocking portion II will overlap the flange 6 on each side of the narrow portion I5 0f the opening as at 23 and 24.

The method pursued in securing the bumper I 50 to its support is shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The bumper is tilted and one end inserted through the mouth Id of the opening I3 so that the inclined faces I6 of the opening engage the grooves 9 and Ill. The bumper being flexible can then be 55 bent as shown in Fig. 5 which permits it to be slid forwardly or to the left whereupon the side edges of the narrow portion I5 of the opening slidably engage the bumper in the grooves 5i and I0. The bumper I is pushed forwardly until the front end IQ of the bumper, particularly the front end of the neck portion I2, abuts the front end ll of the opening I3. At this time the rear end 20 of the bumper is approximately above the rear end It of the opening. Now by pressing the rear end of the bumper inwardly toward the flange 6 and also pressing it slightly forwardly, the rear end of the bumper can be crowded into the mouth of the opening It. This completes the insertion of the bumper into the opening 23 as shown in Fig. 6. At this time the edges or shoulders of the interlocking portion II engage the inside face of the flange 6 on each side of the narrow portion I5 of the opening as at 23 and 24 and thus eifectively interengage the bumper with its support 6. At the same time the abutment of the faces I9 and 2!] with the front and rear edges ll and I8 of the opening I3 prevent longitudinal displacement of the bumper and cooperate with the interlocking portions II to retain the bumper in the opening I3. It is thus evident that the width of the mouth I4 of the opening I3 can be increased relative to the width of the narrow portion Id any amount desired to thus increase the width and amount that the interlock portion I! of the bumper will overlap the flange 6 on each side of the narrow portion I5 of the opening and thus effect a very secure interlock between the bumper and its support. Since it is proposed to make the mouth Id of the opening I 3 wider than the portion I5 and since the interlock portion II does not need to be compressed and crowded through'portion I5 of the opening I3, the size of the interlock portion is controlled solely by the size of mouth It and not by the size of the portion I5 of the opening with which it overlaps to lock the bumper to the support 6.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a support in the window well, an opening in the said support having a mouth portion wider than the remaining portion of the opening, a bumper having a head portion and an interlock portion, the said interlock portion being adapted to be passed through the mouth of the said opening and being wider than the remaining portion of the said opening whereby the said interlock portion of the bumper can be passed through the mouth of the opening and the bumper slid along the opening to inte-rengage the interlock portion of the bumper with the said support in the remaining portion of the opening.

2. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a support in the window well, an opening in the said support having a mouth portion wider than the remaining portion of the opening, a bumper having head and interlock portions both wider than the remaining portion of the opening and a neck portion extending between the head and interlock portions and through the remaining portion of the opening and narrower than the said head and interlock portions, the said interlock portion being adapted to be passed through the mouth of the said opening whereby the said interlock portion of the bumper can be passed through the mouth of the opening and the bumper slid along the opening to position the head and interlock portions on opposite sides of, and the neck portion in, the remaining portion of the said opening whereby the bumper is interengaged with its said support.

3. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a flexible bumper having grooves extending lengthwise of its side walls, a flat support positioned in the window well, an opening in the fiat portion of the said support having a mouth portion and a portion of less width than the mouth portion whereby the said bumper can be passed through the mouth of the opening and slid along the narrow portion of the opening so that the narrow portion of the opening interengages the bumper in the said grooves to secure the bumper to the said support.

4. Ina vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a flexible bumper having grooves extending lengthwise of itsside walls, a fiat support positioned in the window well, an opening in the flat portion of the said support having a mouth portion and a portion of less width than the mouth portion whereby the said bumper can be passed endwise through the mouth of the opening and slid along the narrow portion of the opening so that the narrow portion of the opening interengages the bumper in the said grooves to secure the bumper to the said support, the over-all length of the said bumper being reater than that of the mouth of the said opening whereby the ends of the opening hold the bumper in interlocking engagement with the narrow portion of the opening.

5. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a flexible bumper having grooves extending lengthwise of its sidewalls, a flat support positioned in the window well, an opening in the fiat portion of the said support having a mouth portion and a portion of less width than the mouth portion whereby the said bumper can be passed endwise through the mouth of the opening and slid along the narrow portion of the opening so that the narrow portion of the opening interengages the bumper in the said grooves to secure the bumper to the said support, the

over-all length of the said bumper being ape proximately equal to that of the opening whereby the ends of the bumper abut the ends of the opening to hold the bumper in interlocking engagement with the narrow portion of the opening.

6. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into, and withdrawal from, a window well, a flexible bumper having an interlock portion, a fiat support positioned in the window well, an opening in the flat portion of the said support having a mouth portion and a portion of less width than the mouth portion where-.

the width of the narrow portion of the opening being less than the width of the interlock portion of the bumper whereby the interlock portion overlaps the support on each side of the narrow portion of the opening.

7. In a vehicle body having a window panel arranged for retreat into and withdrawal from, a window well, a flexible bumper having an interlock portion, a fiat support positioned in the window well, an opening in the fiat portion of the said support having a mouth portion and a portion of less width than the mouth portion whereby the said bumper can be passed endwise through the mouth of the opening and slid along the narrow portion of the opening so that the narrow portion of the opening interengages the bumper in the said grooves to secure the bumper to the said support, the over-all length of the said bumper being greater than that of the mouth of the said opening whereby the ends of the opening hold the bumper in interlocking engagement with the narrow portion of the opening, the interlock portion being of such size that it can be easily passed through the mouth of the opening and of greater width than the narrow portion of the opening whereby the interlock portion of the bumper overlaps the support on each side of the narrow portion of the opening.

JAMES L. CONLON. 

